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Sergeant Acquitted Of Murder In Shooting of Woman With Mental Problems; Judge Cites Self-Defense

By MARK TOOR
Posted 2/16/18

NYPD Sgt. Hugh Barry was acquitted on all counts of murder Feb. 15 by a judge who said he was acting in self-defense in 2016 when he shot a mentally-disturbed woman wielding a baseball bat.

Prosecutors had argued that Sergeant Barry had made errors in failing to follow police procedures for dealing with emotionally-disturbed individuals. But under the law, the right to defend oneself against a potentially-deadly physical attack trumps just about any other factor, especially for police officers. Sergeant Barry testified that he feared for his life once Deborah Danner picked up the bat.

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